Seed-planter.



J. W. LITTLE.

SEED PLANTER. APPLIOATION Hmm 00T. 12, 190s.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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J. W. LITTLE.

SEED PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 12, 1909.

932,302. Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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J. W. LITTLE.

SEED PLANTER. APPLICATION FILED 00T.12, 1908.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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JOSEPH W. LITTLE, OF WEST POINT, MISSISSIPPI.

SEED-PLANTER.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Application led October 132, 1908. Serial No. 457,352.

To all whom t may concern:

Bc it known that I, Josnrrr IV. LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nest Point, in the county of Clay and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planters; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invent-ion relates to improvements in seed planters especially adapted for planting corn, cotton or the like, and has for its object to improve on the construction shown and described in my Patent No. 838,345, dated Dec. 11, 1906.

lVith this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of the machine constructed in accordance with this invention and showing a fertilizing distributer in connection therewith; Fig. 2 represents a horizontal -section thereof; Fig. 3 represents a vertical cross section taken through the feed hopper on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 4 shows a horizontal section taken through the feed hopper; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing` the feeding mechanism for corn, sorghum and other grains; Fig. G is a top plan view of one form of feed plate or disk; and, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the scraper detached.

In the embodiment illustrated a frame 1 is shown which may be of any suitable construction mounted on ground wheels 2. Mounted on this frame 1, is a fertilizer containing hopper 3, and a seed hopper 4 arranged at the front thereof. A shaft 5 eX- tends transversely of the machine under the seed hopper 4 and is mounted in any suitable manner. Mounted on this shaft 5 is a sprocket wheel 6 and a beveled gear 7, which latter meshes with a beveled gear 8 secured to a vertical shaft 9. This shaft 9 passes l upwardly through the bottom or base 4 of the hopper 4 and has mounted thereon an agitator 10, and a feed disk or plate 11. This feed disk or plate 11 is detachably connected to the shaft 9 to provide for its being readily removed and another plate substituted therefor when desired. The disk 11 here shown is provided with four openings as 12, for the reception of the seed to be planted which falls into said openings 12, and by the disk 11 are conveyed to the outlet 14 in the rear of the hopper bottom 4 through which they pass into the discharge spout 15, and are thus conveyed to the furrow opened by a furrow opening 16, of ordinary construction. Any desired number of feed plates may be provided, ve being preferably furnished with each machine, and provided with varying numbers of holes and sweeps for planting corn, and placing cotton seed in hills at varying distances apart.

The plate shown in Fig. 6 is provided with four openings 12, as above described, designed for planting corn and with four sweeps as 17 for planting cotton seed. The cover' 18 having orifices 18 is placed over the feed plate and is composed of two parts, the part 19 being fixed and contains, as shown, an opening 13 for the cotton seed, the removable part 18 and fixed part 19 be Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

ing close fitting to prevent seed of any kind from passing between them. The plate 19 is fixed to the bottom or base 4 of the hopper and the plate 18 is removable and is secured within the hopper by eccentric clamps or locks 18a. This plate 18 having orifices 18 is made removable to provide for the ready change of the feed plates or disks without necessitating removal of the hopper from its base or the feed or discharge wheel 20, mounted within said hopper. The openings 12 shown in the disk 11 in Fig. 4 indicate the space that the corn or other grain occupies while said grains are being planted, the remainder of the disk being covered by the plate 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

An adjustable slideor cut off 32 having its lower surface corrugated to fit corrugations in the plate 19 is arranged to regulate the size of the outlet 13 to determine the quantity of seed fed therethrough, and to close said opening 18 when planting corn, sorghum, peas or yother seed.

A cut `off 21 yfor corn or other `grain is secured within a. case or cover 22 (see Fig. 5) which is fastened Vto the plate 18, .and

extends through an opening in the plate 18, i and is arranged in position to bear on the. feed disk 11 over the openings 12 therein. and designed to cut oorfbrush away superfluous seed and allow only a predetermined number to be carried in the openings 12. A spring 23 is arranged under the cut-olf 21 for holding it normally in position upon the disk 11 with sufficient pressure 'to permit only a few grains to pass into the openings 12, and to prevent seed from being carried on the disk 11 which is spaced below fthe plate 18.

A covering member or scraper 24 Ais mounted on a spring member -25 secured at one end vto the frame 1, and is designed as a substitute for a covering wheel. This member 24 is especially designed for use in planting such grain as corn, sorghum land peas which require considerable pressure, but whichis not practicable 'for use in planting cotton seed, which does not require to be packed. This 'scraper 24 is preferably constructed of wood or steel lin the form shown in Figs. 3 and 7 being cuftfout at `'the center of its lower'edge with its sidessl'oped backward 'toward the middle to cause zthe earth to 'be easily 4'drawn uv on the fertilizer and (grain leaving a smal ridge over the grain. A curved presser member 25 kis attached at the 'rear of the scraper 24 `and is preferably made `just Wide enough to press the earth Vin the middle of Dthe ridge upon the seed. YThe narrower `it is vmade to "be operative, the better, the preferable width being about one inch Ior lone and one-half o inches and it is preferably 4made from kmalleable iron or steel.

The shaft 5 extends entirely across the machine from the right to the left and projects a sufficient 'distance to permit a sprocket wheel `26 to be lmounted thereon. 'This sprocket wheel 26 is connected by a chain 27 with a sprocket wheel 28 by means of which the Efeed or discharge wheel 20 is revolved when the 'machine :is in operation. This wheel 20 is designed for forcing cotton seed into the opening 13.

When Vit is desired to plant hills two feet or more apart, lthe sprocket wheels 26 and 28 vmay be reversed which 'will-cause the feed fvvheel 20 to wmoveslower and force a small amount -of seed 'through the opening 13. A false bottom 29 is removably disposed within the yhop er 4 vlto provide for'the ready 'feeding rvof'tflie 'cotton seed to Ethe lopening 13 `and is inclined 'from *the right to left side of said hopper. A grooveBO is arranged in the bottom 4 of the hopper to cause the cotton seed to be removed by the scrapers 17 of the feed `disk 11 from the opening 13 to the opening S1 through which they will fall into the discharge spout l5 which conveys them to the desired `place of deposit. l

The planter herein shown differs from the paient .above referred to in that the feed wheel 20, sprocket Wheels 26 and 28 and the -journals in which the shafts of said sprocket wheels turn have been moved from the right 'to the left side of the hopper whereby the machine including the fertilizer distributer may be made about yfone-fourth shorter than that shown in `the patent. The removable false bottom has also been changed from the rightto left side and the openings shownr at the front of the bottom of the Ehopper in the form shown in the patent has vbeen moved to the back of the hopper in the new structure, the weight and length of the machine being thereby lessened and the machine being muc'h more compact and simple.

The member 25 having the scraper member 24 at the vfree "end thereof, may be provided with elongated eyes to provide for the regulation ofthe length needed to turn suflicient earth to cover the seed `or fertilizer distributed in the furrow.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation ofthe linvention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various Lchanges in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction kmay be resorted 4to without Adeparting from the principleor sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention as defined in 'the appended claims.

Having lthus described -my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. lIn a seed planter the combination'fof a wheeled supporting Tframe,a h'opperfmounted thereon and having yan opening inits bottom and provided with a `seed disk, a cover arranged over said seed disk and composed of two parts, one part being removable and the other fixed, said parts being fttedclosely together to prevent seed from passing between them, said fixed member being secured to the bottom of fthe hopper and the removable member provided with eccentric clamps or locks 'for liolding it in position whereby the feed plates or disks may be yreadily changed without ynecessitating Zthe removal o'f the -hopper from its position.

2. In ya seed planter the v'combination of a wheeled supporting frame, afhopperlmounted thereon and fhaving an Aopening in yits bottom provided with a seed disk, a furrow opener, a discharge spout arranged at the rear thereof 'and a spring bar Adepending from said frame and having a scraper at its In testimony whereof I have hereunto set free end, said scraper being cut out at the my hand in presence of two subscribing center of its lower edge With its side sloped Witnesses.

backward toward the middle, and a curved JOSEPH W. LITTLE.

.1 presser member attached at the rear of the Witnesses:

scraper adapted to press the earth in the R. M. TROTTER, middle of the ridge upon the seed. R. B. DEANES. 

